Disclaimer: If I owned Once Upon a Time, Captain Hook would still be the dashing pirate he was back in season 2. Therefore, no I don't own it.

The sun is setting as I play with her. Her eyes reflect the warm oranges of the sky, and I turn around to see the blue and purple blanket of darkness mixing with the vivid hues. I look back down and I see her smile as a happy and pleasing sound reaches my ears. She is laughing, and running, and enjoying her surroundings. It's hard to understand that I feel so drawn to a being so small. It's amazing how a child that's known you for barely three months can bring so much joy to your day just by cracking a smile.

I check the time and know her parents won't be out of their meeting in some time, so we still have a couple of hours to discover the world that lies in the 200 square feet around us. She must know that we have plenty of time to play, because she starts running in my direction as if she is going to jump on my arms and just as I am about to scoop her up in my arms, she turns right as fast as her tiny legs will allow her. I can see her burst in laugh and I can't bring myself to do anything but join her I her happiness as I chase her down the walk side. Then I panic as she goes into the street and take her in my arms realizing for the first time that there is no single car passing by.

As we reach the big tree in front of which we were playing, I see a pair of lights moving inside the parking lot across the street. My heart flutters as I realize what those lights mean; he is here tonight. "Of course he is here tonight, Regina. He came to the meeting, he is an important member of whatever this organization is." I say inside my head. He comes out of his car and starts walking towards me. I look directly into his blue eyes as I always do and wonder how I got so lucky to have him as my friend.

I wave at him and he waves back with a bit of indifference and I feel a knife going through my insides as he keeps walking in the direction of the meeting. I hear my little ad energetic friend calling for me, so I put up at the closest thing to a smile that I can master, turn around, take her body in one arm and start spinning her around as she screams from excitement. As soon as her feet touch the ground she looks into my eyes and innocently asks, "ad you sad a-cause Killian didn't say hi?". I am taken back for a moment trying to understand how she could be so observing. She is just two, for heaven's sake!

"I'm just disappointed that he didn't, because we are friends,"

"Do you wike'im?"

"We are friends, of course I like him!" is my response, even though I know what she means. But I still try to get free with no success.

"But, do you wike'im like my mommy wikes my daddy?"

"Would you be happy if I said yes?"

She crunches her nose in what looks like deep thought, and after a moment she nods. "Yeah. A-cause you're pwetty and he is cute. And a-cause your eyes wook wike two stars when you see'im."

I chuckle to cover my awe at the little girl. "Well, would you rather spend the next hour talking or playing?"

"Playing!" she yells excited as she starts jumping up and down. And as we play, I can't stop thinking about my conversation with Killian from last week when I told him how I feel about him. When we decided to take a few days to think if this was what we wanted, what was best for both of us. I guess he thought about it, and he answer is no.

When the meeting is over, I take little Emma inside with her parents. I know they are having doughnuts and before they go home, and Emma runs directly at the bear claws as soon as she gets a sight of them. Her parents thank me for staying with Emma and offer me a couple of doughnuts. I usually wouldn't resist one of those, but tonight I want to be alone.

I don't see him as I make my way to front of the building. I seat in the walk side and hear Frederick, Jefferson, and Graham, three of my best friends, making a joke that would've had me getting back in return at any other moment. When I don't look up, they turn serious and ask me if he ran away. I'm always amazed by their ability to say the most idiotic things and see through my every mask no matter how thick. I shake my head no.

"But he didn't say yes, either." States Graham as if he had been there.

"Guys, I don't want to talk about it. If he is not the one for me, there's nothing I can do."

"Yes, you can. You can go in there and slap him in the face until he realizes what is in front of him and what he is giving up. He is throwing away the opportunity to be loved by someone who hates everyone!" Responds Frederick indignantly. I actually chuckle at that and they all wrap me in a big hug as my head rests on Jefferson's shoulder.

After a few moments of bittersweet comfort, I pull myself from their embrace and tell them that I'll be heading home. I turn around and start crossing the still empty just as I reach the middle, I feel someone running towards me. It's him. I don't have to see him to know it's him. He is in front of me in less than a second. He looks into my eyes and there's so much love in them that I feel myself floating in the air. He hugs me and whispers "I'm sorry" into my ears. It's not a good-bye I'm sorry, it's an I love-you I'm sorry. It's a silent promise. It's the yes I've been waiting for my whole life. And as we walk towards the others, his arms still around me, I hear a "yaaay!" coming out of Emma's lips as she throws her arms into the air.

I've been alone my whole life, no one to love me and no one to love. Then these three goofballs came along, then Emma. And now… I'm finally in the arms of the man that I love. I am finally loved. I am finally cared for. I am not alone anymore. I am finally safe.

I look at him, and just as my lips are about to touch his… I wake up and feel the longing hit my already broken heart.

Please let me know what you think about it. Suggestions and corrections are also accepted.